Kielburger to bring We Day to Halifax

Craig Kielburger, founder of the charity Free the Children network, is bringing his We Day youth empowerment event to Halifax in fall 2013. (ERIC WYNNE / Staff)

Halifax is one of three Canadian cities being added to a national “youth empowerment” event featuring world leaders, pop music artists and others.

The We Day happening, set for metro in the fall of 2013, is being put on by the Free The Children network, a charity founded by child rights activist Craig Kielburger.

An announcement about the host cities and dates was made in Toronto on Monday. The events are scheduled for this year and next.

Kielburger said late last week the Halifax event is still in the planning stages. He couldn’t say which venue will be used for the six-hour program or how many young people are expected to attend.

Past events in other cities have attracted teenagers and younger kids from the host site and its environs, Kielburger said.

Halifax was selected for a We Day fete, in part, because of the co-operation of local schools, he said. Students learn about social justice and get leadership instruction.

“We work with the schools year-round through We Schools in Action to help support them,” Kielburger said by phone from Vancouver.

Organizers wanted a coast-to-coast We Day schedule, “and we’re incredibly excited” the event will be in the Atlantic region next year, he said.

“We’re hopeful that this will be an event that really captures a lot of the spirit and energy of what’s already happened on the East Coast, which is amazing (youth) volunteers and service” to their communities, Kielburger said.

RBC has signed on for a five-year partnership as national co-title sponsor of We Day and will also support the organization’s We Schools in Action initiative.

According to a recent news release, the 2012-13 We Day season will include events in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. New cities added to the annual program are Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary.